text: Carboxylic acids are readily identified as such by infrared spectroscopy. They exhibit a sharp band associated with vibration of the C=O carbonyl bond (ν) between 1680 and 1725 cm. A characteristic ν band appears as a broad peak in the 2500 to 3000 cm region. By H NMR spectrometry, the hydroxyl hydrogen appears in the 10–13 ppm region, although it is often either broadened or not observed owing to exchange with traces of water.